Wizard of Elements

by Calista Lambrechts

  I was interested when I heard them mention my name. It was clear, from what I heard, that my father refused to send me into battle. The other two sounded upset.

  Thomason mentioned that they had no other choice and my father eventually agreed. I felt my stomach twist to knots, a hungry rat gnawing at me.

  My throat tightened in apprehension, leaving me with a frown of disappointment. It was never of my interest to go fight for the war. I wanted no part of it, for I had my fair share of war in the past…

  Instead, I rather desired to stay at the Wizard’s tower and train my magic. I felt more at home with my master than I ever did with my own father, but I could never run away from my true home. My father didn’t know about my powers. And, by my guess, he would surely blow a fuse if he were to find out. Or, if I’m lucky, he would just kill me and spare me the suffering.

  “Fine, we will ride to Hayley in a few days’ time. Nothing will make me change my mind. Terrowin will go into battle, whether he likes it or not…”

  I was speechless, feeling the anxiety clawing up my throat and tugging at my heart. If anything, I wasn’t about to go off and fight in a battle for the glory of Ysellian. I promised myself I was done with that. I promised myself that I wouldn’t fight in another war ever again since what happened during the last one…

  “Rowan, you sure?” Cassius asked kindly. If anyone, he had the most heart of all.

  I peered over the window stool, making sure my hood was lowered and that I appeared as one with the shadows.

  My father lowered his head. His heart seemed heavy as he struggled to reply.

  “You know what happened to his brother.”

  That spark in my eyes faltered and my heart skipped a beat as my legs felt numb. I carried a deep frown on my face, for I didn’t know what to expect, but I feared for the worse, an idea already brewing in my mind I wished wouldn’t be true…

  “I know…”

  Cassius carried a sincere sympathy, a sympathy I almost wished wasn’t there…

  “Rowan, it’s for the better good,” Thomason cut in, as cold as his personality predicted.

  “No, no I can’t, Thomason,” Father snapped, a deep sadness in his eyes. “I simply won’t allow this. I can’t lose Terrowin, not like I have lost Travis.”

  My heart was shot, a pain webbing off throughout my entire soul as I gradually sank to the ground, my back against the wall once again. My eyes stared blank. My breath was shaky and my mind was clouded. It was almost as though I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t bare it.

  Travis… dead.

  He was my older brother, one whom I admired, who I loved with everything I had.

  My eyes glistened. I bit down on my teeth, fighting back a scream as I absentmindedly clawed at the street, desperately trying to search for a way to get rid of the agony that so tore my heart apart. It was almost as though I could feel it.

  He wasn’t just my brother, but also my best companion. He understood me like no one else ever had. With him gone… it felt as though a big part of me was missing.

  “If you won’t allow him to fight, then you will have no choice but to sign the offer,” Thomason said gruffly.

  …Offer?

  Father merely dismissed his remark with no reply.

  I gathered my courage and mustered what little strength I had left to glance over the window stool one last time. I felt the involuntary tremble at my hands.

  “We have to make peace sooner or later or Ysellian, and most likely the king’s entire army, will be left in ruin. Brendwin is too strong,” Cassius said. My father frowned. I could almost feel the faint sense of pride he carried with him.

  “Ysellian withholds the strongest kingdom in all the lands.”

  “Every stone crumbles, Rowan,” Thomason spat, “You have to do this!”

  “I refuse to give my only son that is left, to work as a slave for our enemy in order for the mere possibility of creating peace.”

  I exhaled sharply, my mouth agape, for never had I heard but a single word of this. No one ever told me about a contract, and this one least of all. I was curious as to what my father was to do. Absentmindedly, my grip on the windowdsill tightened.

  “Whereas he will die in war for certain. Sign the bloody contract, Rowan,” Thomason roared, hitting his fist to the table, bearing his teeth, his soul exhumed in fire.

  “I refuse!”

  “Rowan,” Cassius said softly, gently resting his hand on my father’s shoulder. Their eyes met. “It is either this or hope that the magicals might come to our aid, in which I highly doubt. Otherwise, as much as I hate to admit it, it will be the end of Ysellian.”

  Thomas unrolled a parchment and placed it in front of my father. I could clearly see that it was the dreaded contract they were talking about. It looked old and withered, carrying a faded tinge of brown as correspondence to its age.

  I was always gifted with spectacular sight and managed to read the fine print. It stated that the only way Brendwin would withdraw from the war, was for Ysellian to sell its own noble sons as slaves, as a symbol of Ysellian’s sincerity to surrendering. Only a certain few were selected from all around Ysellian. I seemed to be one of the biggest deals since my father was commander of the king’s personal knights, and occasionally, the king’s army. Apparently, if my father were to sign the contract, there would be a possibility for the war to end, but it was a matter of uncertainty.

  I felt my stomach twist to knots.

  Cassius cautiously handed my father a pen, almost hesitantly. What pained me was the sight of my father accepting it.

  No! I thought.

  No, you can’t do this!

  I saw as my father lifted the pen to sign. I shook my head in denial and complete dejection, my eyes fixated on the contract. I watched in suspension as my father’s final decision remained pending.

  Father, don’t.

  My father’s eyes fell to the contract, his grip on the pen tightening.

  Father!

  My father shut his eyes tight as he finally brought himself to sign it, his signature imprinted with age-old ink. My heart shattered.

  Dad…

  “How could you…?” I whispered under my breath, as I let go of a heavy sigh, my hands slipping from the window stool. My heart ached, but not because I was driven to grief, no, rather that I felt betrayed. I closed my eyes. His betrayal wiped away my tears and dried my heart. I stood and left without a single word, eyes fallen to the muddy ground as I merely walked away.

  They drove him to make one of the worst mistakes in all his life, destroying what little relationship he had left with his only son left – with me.

  I knew, deep inside, that I would never be able to forgive him for what he did.

  CHAPTER 3

  A WHISPER NEAR DEATH

  CARLAYLIN

  IT WAS THE RISE OF DAWN as the morning sun gradually climbed to its zenith. We had travelled far from Thorodan and had gone a long way. We were trudging a rocky earthen road, crawling with vegetation at some parts, dampened after the previous night’s rain.

  Raising my gaze, I could see the Snowy Blue Mountains rising into the misty grey skies in the far distance.

  We were surrounded by some rough bushes and grassy meadows stretching across uneven ground that rose into hills.

  I walked a few paces behind Terrowin, sometimes failing to fight back a quick glance at him.

  His face looked a bit jacked up with painful looking shades of blue and purple adorning his right cheek and lower eye after those mug shots I gave him… literally.

  Of course I felt a little bit guilty... Okay, a lot.

  He really wasn’t a bad guy, actually! If anything, I might have overreacted.

  Some of the clouds had torn apart, exposing bright blue day with rays of sunlight raining down from the heavens above to touch the land. Trees sang their songs as they sat perched in the trees all around us.

  The exten
sive journey and exertion of walking so far had given me quite the chance to talk to Terrowin. I was willing to see just how much I could get out of him before he’d snap.

  Answer: Nothing.

  The guy really wasn’t an open book and proved quite a challenge. Well, I adored challenges, not to mention me being pretty competitive all the same…

  Sorry, I’m babbling again.

  Anyways, I’d never admit it out loud to anyone, but I actually enjoyed his company. It was nice having someone to talk to for a change. I never had someone like that when I was still working at the Sleeping Dragon’s Inn. It was quite a miserable life, really.

  Problem was, I could sometimes be too open to people, meaning, I probably drove Terrowin nuts with all the crap in my life.

  At some point I even asked Terrowin if we were going to Hayley, for one, I didn’t exactly know where the Wizard lodged, and two, I was quite curious to see his home town… uh, city. Apparently it’s the capital of Ysellian…

  Don’t judge me! If you’ve been stuck in an inn for the most of your life, you don’t exactly tend to revel in much cartography.

  But it seemed as though, whenever he heard that name, he would wince.

  Bad memories perhaps.

  He told me that we wouldn’t go near that place for reasons he didn’t exactly elaborate on, only that his father and the guys would be on their way back there in a matter of time and that he would rather avoid them for the time being.

  This Wizard guy lived a good distance away from the city it seemed, and Terrowin seemed eager on reaching his tower as soon as possible.

  By the way, he still wouldn’t tell me the wizard’s name, or who he actually was and what he did.

  He still didn’t trust me enough, that much was clear… I guess it’s kind of understandable. After all, I did attack him with a mug.

  Still feeling guilty.

  Terrowin told me that the Wizard’s tower was situated somewhere in the Forest of Lights.

  We walked straight on until we reached a lovely crossroads with a road stretching far to the right, and another far to the left. I merely stood there, being my usual indecisive self on which road we were to take.

  The words on the two signs had withered away long ago, leaving behind only the unreadable remains. I was stuck and looked at Terrowin for help. I received little more than a shrug. He must’ve taken another road to Thorodan when he came for me.

  Well, thanks… for nothing, I thought.

  “What about left?” I suggested.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course I am. I’m right-handed, so… why not left?”

  Terrowin didn’t look so sure about my answer, possibly even probing his thoughts for everything that could go wrong.

  It took a while, but he finally accepted my decision, although I had a feeling that I might regret it. Terrowin wasn’t going anywhere soon, so I decided to take the lead and go on ahead. Terrowin simply followed, hopefully watching my back.

  We continued our exertion until we finally found ourselves in the middle of a forest, but it most definitely wasn’t the Forest of Lights…

  It was somewhat darker and in a way… dead. Strangely, all the trees were shades of black and the ground a darker grey. Nothing but still darkness lurked beyond the never ending trees, some thin, some thick, the forest devoid of all sunlight but for the misty tinge that lingered on. The trees closed in on the narrow pathway we walked upon, their roots entwining with the ground and breaking free, looking somewhat skeletal.

  Even though the trees might have seemed dead, their leaves sprouted in a dense coverage that roofed the sky above us, carrying ghostly shades of darkened grey and a withered brown.

  There was something odd about the place, dare I even say off. Stepping into the forest had a way of robbing you of one sense and heightening the others. It was almost disorientating, to be blinded, only to be given the ears of a wolf.

  Even the soft susurration of the branches felt heavy in my ears, playing my nerves like a harp at every turn.

  The loam in the earth and the decomposing leaves made the atmosphere close and thick. I didn’t dare stop, a voice in me screaming to get out of the forest as fast as I humanly could.

  A thin layer of fog dwelled the surface of the forest floor, a path made of eerily dark gravel. I felt a feeling of unease brewing within me, a hungry rat gnawing at my stomach.

  I quickly looked back over my shoulder, relieved to see Terrowin still there… uh, not that I cared or anything…

  He was silent, but I could see the misgiving in his eyes.

  It almost felt as though I was playing a part in one of those horror shows they usually perform to entertain the king. Whispers swirled about me, carried by the wind, rustling through the leaves and disappearing beyond the trees.

  I was met with an involuntary tremble that I didn’t even realize until a while after. I tried to believe that I was one of the bravest people in Ysellian. Guess I was fooling myself above all, wasn’t I…?

  A shadowy figure abruptly flew past us. It was fast. I couldn’t see what it was, but I have to admit that I was pretty startled. I heard the leaves rustle and another shadowy figure swooping past by above our heads.

  I couldn’t help but gulp.

  Suddenly, there was the cry of a crow in the distance, leading to a large number of them retreating from their trees and taking flight in a choir of fluttering wings and cawing.

  They can fly out of any situation when they’re scared. I’m pinned to the ground and how should I feel?

  “Help,” I murmured to myself. I heard what sounded like a growl in the distance.

  I was startled, thrown off my course as I stumbled back, losing my balance with a yelp, but it appeared that my knight in shining armour really was Terrowin as he caught me by instinct, eyes widened by the sudden occurrence.

  I felt his arms around me and panicked. I couldn’t help but yank myself away. Our eyes locked. My heart was racing, fluttering in my chest.

  “I…” To be honest, I was rather tongue tied as I couldn’t find my words, Terrowin only staring at me with that unnerving frown of his. The moment suddenly felt awkward. I tried my best to save it.

  “Never again,” I squeaked nervously through gritted teeth as I rapidly continued to follow the forest path. I noticed Terrowin pursing his lips into a thin line as he tentatively followed my trail, eyes suspiciously studying our surroundings for any possible signs of fatal danger.

  I had scarcely taken my way when a massive beast pounced at me from what seemed like nowhere, stirring the mist and knocking the breath from my lungs as it pinned me to the ground.

  The first thing I noticed was its bared mouth, baring its teeth, wolf-like fangs dripping with, possibly, poisonous saliva, hinted by the forked snake tongue. Frankly, I was too scared to gag. I had never seen such a beast in all my life. If anything, it was something of an epic hybrid as it carried its gigantic reptilian head, adorned in black scales and lion body rustling with glossy black fur. I was caught off guard by its long spikey reptilian tail and tiger claws digging into my shoulders. It crushed me under its weight, bloodshot eyes digging into the deepest reaches of my subconscious, unravelling my worst fears and bringing them to mind as it tried to lose my mind in a daze.

  No, I thought to myself, not this time you won’t!

  I forced back, trying to wriggle myself free, but the beast was too strong and too persistent, limiting my attempts with its intimidating appearance.

  “Get off of me!” I shouted, my eyes lost in the beast’s. The forest’s whispers grew louder, the wind picking up as it overwhelmed my train of thought. It was somewhat unclear, the only words I managed to translate and make out having to be something that sounded vaguely like, “Die, wizard,” or, “Dye a lizard.”…

  Now why would I want to go and do that for? Well, if I had no choice, I’d probably dye it a nice turquoise, aqua or blue. You know, a dark charcoa
l blue. I loved the colour blue. Both turquoise and aqua have a tinge of blue and green to them and- Sorry. I got carried away again.

  It traced my throat with the edge of its one talon. I was afraid it would go ahead and slit my throat or poke a hole in it at any second. I closed my eyes tight to not see it coming and awaited my fate. I couldn’t help but steal a look though, peering underneath my eyelid.

  The monster raised its paw, claws deadly sharp as he probably aimed on scratching me to death. Actually, if anything, one scratch and I’m as good as either dead or terribly disfigured. Truth be told, I didn’t see chance for either of em’.

  When I thought it was all over, I caught sight of a growing light out the corner of my eye. I felt a breath escape my lips as a string of dancing flame lashed itself onto the creature, wrapping around its body, enfolding it, searing its fur and burning its skin. The creature roared out in pain as the fierce tendrils of fire yanked it away from me with an immense force, sending it skidding off into another direction all together. As the beast was thrown to the ground, the fire faded to smoke and disappeared.

  I hurriedly scrambled upright, wide-eyed. My heart sank at the sight of a blazing inferno seething at Terrowin’s hands, his eyes filled with a certain determination and sincerity that I had never seen before in my entire life.

  I was dazed. For one, I had never seen true magic in real life before, and secondly, Terrowin himself amazed me. The fire suited him, actually, signifying his inner personality. He was at one with himself and his magic as he was set upon fending off the monster.

  His feet were kept firmly to the ground and he knew exactly what he was doing, no doubt in that.

  “Get behind me!” Terrowin ordered, finally snapping me out of my daze. For a moment longer I was frozen on the spot, but my usual wit got the best of me. I narrowed my eyes as I dusted myself off, taking my dear time.

  “Okay. Don’t worry, I’m completely fine, thanks for asking,” I muttered. “I can fight for myself.”